¡Felicidades, Raul!

Last weekend, we celebrated Oscar´s brother, Raul´s, 30th birthday. I was the lucky one that got to prepare the dinner! I came up with several different menus and let Raul choose his favorite. Guess what he choose ... Baked Bolognese! Always a crowd pleaser. I was so excited because I have been dying to make it but haven´t had the chance. Since my mother-in-law doesn´t eat pasta (Have you ever met a person that doesn´t like pasta?!), I also made a double batch of eggplant parmesan.

To start off, I made a couple of appetizers: homemade mozzarella sticks and a ham and cheese pastry braid. My nieces Sandra (5) and Mónica (4) have discovered fried cheese from a chain restaurant Foster´s Hollywood (like a TGI Fridays) and love them. I thought it would be a nice treat for them to try ones that haven´t been previously frozen. I thought of my mom as I was making the fried cheese because she is the patient one that always helps me since you have to bread them not once but twice! The ham and cheese pastry braid is a great go-to dish. It makes for a great appetizer and a really simple supper.

Ham and Cheese Pastry Braid

1 pacakge refigerated pastry dough

4 slices deli ham

2 slices of cheese

1 egg

Preheat oven according to package of pastry dough (about 375 degrees)

Roll out pastry dough and place ham down the middle of the dough. Layer with cheese and another layer of ham. (Think of dividing the dough into thirds and the ham and cheese goes in the middle section.) Slit the sides of the dough in about 8 sections on each side. Braid over the middle so that the ham and cheese peak through. Beat egg and brush egg wash over the top of the braid. Bake according to package (about 20 min) until golden brown.

Then for dessert, I made cream puffs and my mother-in-laws special cake. I had to improvise on the cream puffs because I can´t find Jello pudding mixes here. So I made them with whip cream and chocolate whip cream. I experimented and figured out how to make chocolate whip cream. It´s really simple and fabulous.

Chocolate Whip Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

4 teaspoons sugar

Put whipping cream in the bowl and start the mixer. Add cocoa powder and sugar. Mix on high until stiff peaks start to form. Don´t over mix or you will get cocoa-butter!

Here is the family! Raul is the one infront of the cake, Almudena (his finacée) is the right of him, then Mónica (my goddaugher), and Sandra. On the left is Rosa (Oscar´s sister), her husband Pedro, my mother-in-law Angelines and my father-in-law José. I promise that Oscar and I will make it in the next photo.